Quote:DeKALB - A bar popular with college students lost its liquor license Wednesday, while another had its license suspended for one day during Corn Fest.

Bar One, 1000 W. Lincoln Highway, had its Class A license revoked in a Wednesday afternoon hearing before Mayor Frank Van Buer, who also is liquor commissioner. City Attorney Norma Guess said the revocation was part of a settlement that also says the bar's owners, Robert and Nancy Myers of Maple Park, must pay past-due taxes and $879 in fees by June 8.

The owners declined to comment, but admitted in the settlement that minors were allowed into the bar and were served on three occasions in March and April. The city agreed to drop a fourth charge. Guess said the business also owed restaurant and bar taxes for April and May and failed to pay a fire and life safety inspection fee.

Also Wednesday, Molly's Eatery & Drinkery, 1022 W. Lincoln Highway, was punished for exceeding occupancy limits. Guess said the bar exceeded its limit by more than 100 people one night and more than 200 another night during a weekend tent party earlier this month.

Owner John Sanfilippo agreed to pay $2,250 in fines and abide by a one-day suspension of the bar's liquor license on Aug. 24, the Friday of Corn Fest weekend. He said his staff tried to limit the number of people in the bar, but by the time they closed the entrance there were already too many people inside.

“Once people are in, if you try to force them to leave you have a bigger problem,” he said. “So our solution was just to not let anyone else in.”

“Then that means you should count them the first time as they're coming in,” Van Buer replied.

Sanfilippo said his special-event license for the party did not limit how many people could be in the tent, but Guess said the violation was for the number of people actually in the building or its beer garden. She said beer garden patrons count toward a building's occupancy limit because they're likely to go inside the bar if it starts to rain.

“There have been so many disasters around the country due to overcrowding,” Van Buer said. “It's such a serious thing, I don't think it's something we'll be so lenient on in the future.”